The iPhone 8 could ditch Apple's current charger — for the same kind Google uses

YouTube/ConceptsiPhoneApple is expected to launch a redesigned iPhone with a new look this fall to help boost sales of its most important product.

The new iPhone — which some analysts have been calling the iPhone 8, the "OLED" iPhone, or the iPhone "X" — may use a new USB-C charging port, increasing compatibility between it and Apple's latest laptops, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

Currently, Apple's iPhones use its proprietary Lightning charger for power and data, while its newest laptops use USB-C cables, requiring users of both to buy additional adapters.

"They said Apple would introduce other updates including a USB-C port for the power cord and other peripheral devices instead of the company's original Lightning connector. The models would also do away with a physical home button, they said. Those updates would give the iPhone features already available on other smartphones."

What a USB-C port looks like. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider The rumor of an iPhone using the same charging port as devices like the Google Pixel and other high-end Android devices hasn't been rumored yet from supply chain gurus like KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

It would be a historic move from Apple towards cross-compatibility, and would ameliorate much of the criticism its received in the past year for incompatibility issues as its laptops ditched the existing USB standard for USB-C ports.

Plus, it's been rumored that Apple will be selling a wireless charging accessory separately with the upcoming iPhone, which could make its data and power port less consequential.

Regardless of whether this year's iPhone comes with a USB-C port or a Lightning port, the upcoming iPhone sounds like it could be pricey, with some reports suggesting it could cost more than $1000.